A cyclist enjoys a sunny afternoon going to a from downtown D.C. along the bike path that parallels Metro’s Red Line. Friday is Bike to Work Day. (Linda Davidson/ The Washington Post)

Friday is a big day for two-wheeled transport. Bike to Work Day is Friday and organizers are expecting a huge crowd. Last year’s event attracted more than 14,500 cyclists, and with the popularity of cycling growing (and the warm weather!) organizers are hoping more people will opt to leave their car at home and give cycling a chance. Already more than 14,000 have registered.

D.C. has invested heavily in its bike infrastructure in recent years (more than 50 miles of trails with more to come) and it appears to be paying off. According to recent Census figures, D.C. ranks in the top 10 for the number of people who bike to work. Think you can’t do it? Check out this piece about Ken Schantz who commutes by bike from his home near Mount Vernon to his office in Rockville. For those keeping track, that’s a 70-mile round trip. He got his start during a similar bike to work event. Now you don’t have to be Schantz to make it work. Just a few miles can be enough to create a habit that might help you trim down and ease some of that commute stress.

For folks still on the fence, should check out Shane Farthing’s last-minute guide to Bike to Work Day. (Farthing is executive director of the Washington Area Bicyclist Association). His guide is filled with lots of useful tips for participating. If you’ve ever wanted to give cycling a try, Friday is a great day since there is likely to be pit stops (more than 79 are planned) and lots of support along your route.

We’d love to hear your stories and showcase your tweets and snapshots about your experience. If you see something funny, cool or just plain interesting, tweet it using the #BikeToWorkDayWP and we’ll track it down. (Don’t worry if you forget — we’ll also be checking for the #BikeToWorkDay hashtag as well). You also can send your stories to me at lori.aratani@washpost.com Happy cycling!

Lori Aratani writes about how people live, work and play in the D.C. region for The Post’s Transportation and Development team.

Comments our editors find particularly useful or relevant are displayed in Top Comments, as are comments by users with these badges: . Replies to those posts appear here, as well as posts by staff writers.

To pause and restart automatic updates, click "Live" or "Paused". If paused, you'll be notified of the number of additional comments that have come in.

Comments our editors find particularly useful or relevant are displayed in Top Comments, as are comments by users with these badges: . Replies to those posts appear here, as well as posts by staff writers.